BREAKING THROUGH THE LIMITS OF THE BRAND STYLE GUIDE

Just about every designer’s dealt with a brand style guide (brand guidelines), - the authoritative document that dictates how a brand should look, speak, and generally exist in all mediums.You know, the Do this, not that, style guide, the Here’s a list of colors and fonts style guide, and the ever-so-popular Do we even have one of those? style guide.Sounds like a whole lot of rules to follow?Sure. But these constraints can be not only challenging but inspiring.Creativity within confines can both challenge a designer and provide necessary guidance. Having endless room to explore can be paralyzing because the land is vast and you can spend a lot of time feeling out the right direction.A set of limitations narrows down your options, allowing you to explore in a more effective, directed manner. Here are a few key points on how to make the best of the brand style guide you’ll inherit.Though we speak from an agency perspective, these points apply to in-house designers, agency designers, and freelancers alike.KEY Points:

• Constraint is good
• Get the Brand Guidelines as early as possible
• Look for loopholes
• Create personality through filagree
• Get the client onside